


Wander Right Back In

by Anatemnein



Category: Designing Women
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 21:37:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20749151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anatemnein/pseuds/Anatemnein
Summary: As her relationship with Anthony progresses, Julia is shocked when her former boyfriend, Reese Watson, comes back into her life, with every intention of renewing their relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

~~~~

Mary Jo threw her hands up in frustration, sighing audibly.

"What is it, Mary Jo?" Charlene asked, quizzically, a half smile dancing on her face as she shifted in her desk chair.

Mary Jo threw her sketch book on the table in front of her, and leaned back into the sofa, grumpily stuffing her feet beneath her, in a way that made Charlene think of a little child. That was probably the quality about Mary Jo that bemused her the most, her ability to throw a hissy-fit in a way the was so reminiscent of a child's temper tantrum that it became almost appealing, as well as entertaining.

"Oohhh, nothing, it's just that I'll have to sink all my ideas in the ocean, just because that crotchety, old Mr. Lewis decided none of the ideas I proposed to him were any good."

Charlene shifted again, puckering her lips and saying in a gentle tone, "Well, Mary Jo, sometimes what you think the client wants and what they actually want can be two different things."

Mary Jo shot Charlene a glare before snapping, "They were his ideas, Charlene."

At this, Charlene pressed her lips together meekly and went back to filing her invoices when she heard the front door open and saw Julia and Suzanne step inside, tossing their coats on the rack. Julia walked swiftly toward the kitchen as she threw a bemused look at Mary Jo.

"Feet on the sofa, Mary Jo? Is this a new decorators trend I'm not yet hip to?"

Mary Jo lowered her feet sheepishly, glancing at Julia before picking up her sketch book again. "No, it's a coping mechanism I use to fight off homicidal rage" she said, flipping her pencil upside down and continuing the arduous task of erasing the top corner of the page.

Suzanne plopped on the sofa beside Mary Jo, huffing in annoyance. "You want to talk about rage, Mary Jo? I have to drive my Mercedes around with smudged windows because Julia thought Anthony deserved to take the morning off for no reason."

Julia shot Suzanne a stern look, cocking her brow as she said, "He had a dentist appointment, Suzanne." She paused briefly to pick up her coffee mug, making her way to the front of the counter and seating herself on one of the bar stools, magazines spread out in front of her. "And how many times do I have to tell you that Anthony is not going to be cleaning your windows, today or any other day, for that matter."

Suzanne shot Julia a snarky look as she leaned toward Mary Jo and said, "Perks of dating the boss" loudly enough for Julia to overhear.

Julia was about to open her mouth to snap at Suzanne when the door opened and a grey-haired gentleman stepped inside, looking about mid 50-ish. He carried an air of professional success about him, and he looked at Charlene politely as he said, "I'm looking for Julia Sugarbaker."

Julia narrowed her brows in surprise, slowly setting her feet on the floor and crossing the room to shake his hand. "I'm Julia Sugarbaker. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm Todd Hamish. A dear, old friend of mine recommended your services to me. See, I'm having my new office redone--the person before me had abysmal taste--and I heard you ladies are interior decorators."

Julia smiled pleasantly, always glad to hear their services were being recommended to other people, as she cocked her head and asked him, "Why yes, yes we are, may I ask who recommended us?"

The door behind Mr. Hamish opened, and the way he turned around suggested that this person following him in was none other than the recommendee. He stepped aside just in time for Julia to look straight into the dark eyes of Reese Watson.

She froze, and behind her Mary Jo and Suzanne's eyes expanded to an abnormal size as they waited anxiously to see what would happen. While Julia had never detailed the exact reasons for their break-up, the ladies had deduced that it didn't end well--no real surprise given their tumultuous history--and when she began dating Anthony a little over two months ago, they assumed Reese Watson was a permanent piece of the past.

"Hello, Julia" he said politely, eyeing her carefully.

Julia drew in a slow breath, and said as politely as she could, "Hello, Reese."

Mr. Hamish looked back at Julia and said, "Reese said you both have known each other for a very long time, and any friend of his is a friend of mine, as the old saying goes. Being new here to Atlanta, I'm trying my best to make sure my associations with people are fruitful, and long-lasting."

Julia smiled stiffly, turning toward the sofa and gesturing for them to follow her and sit down. She had no intention of seeing Reese again, but the man between her and her old flame was a potential client, and this was no time for an outburst.

"You all have been friends for some time?" Mr. Hamish asked pleasantly, as Julia silently thanked God that he had been quicker to follow her than Reese was, who was watching her carefully from the other side of his friend.

Reese flashed Julia a cocky grin and said to Todd, "Well you know, where some folks are concerned it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings, and even then..." He looked at Julia pointedly as Mr. Hamish laughed, unaware that saying was not only an old favorite of Reese's, but one he'd used a few years before for the first time, after their first big 'misunderstanding', as he'd labeled it.

Julia bit her lip in anger, and proceeded to direct any other bits of conversation strictly toward Mr. Hamish, utilizing her iron will and ignoring Reese's penetrating gaze.

Thankfully, they had only a few minutes to spare, as Mr. Hamish informed Julia that there were other things he needed for his office that Reese was going to help him find. He detailed his exact wishes, and, naturally, each request was so reasonable and logical that she couldn't even find a way to turn down the job, no matter how badly she wanted to. When he'd said, "Money is no object", Julia had turned and shot a nervous, thoughtful glance at Suzanne and Mary Jo, who had moved behind the counter after being ushered off of the sofa.

Julia followed Mr. Hamish and Reese to the door, telling him with uncertainty bubbling in her chest, that she'd be happy to take the job, and that he could come back tomorrow to sign the contracts so she could begin work.

"It'll be a pleasure I'm sure, Ms. Sugarbaker" Mr. Hamish had said, smiling politely as he shook her hand.

She nodded politely, and he turned to leave as Reese stepped forward, touching Julia's arm with an air of familiarity that made her want to saw her arm off.

"Take care, Sassy" he said, lowering his voice, but not enough for what he'd said to escape Charlene's ears, who threw her stack of invoices to the side of her face to block Julia's view of it as she mouthed, "Sassy???" to Suzanne and Mary Jo.

Reese didn't wait for a reply, and he swiftly turned on his heels and closed the door. Julia stood silently by the front door for what seemed like a long 30 seconds as the women listened to the car roar to life and pull out of her driveway. She was shaken from her reverie by the sound of the back door opening, and she turned to see Anthony enter the room, wishing everybody a good morning as he grabbed a cup of coffee.

She walked listlessly to her desk, and looked at him guiltily as he stepped over to where she was and handed her the morning's mail as he informed her that he and Suzanne would have to make a stop at the old H. Clark Museum to touch base with the director of operations and see if they were still pleased with the job.

Suzanne moved quickly to the backdoor, eager to avoid the awkwardness that was hanging like dust in the air, as Anthony bent forward and kissed Julia gently.

"Let me take you to lunch later, baby, okay?" he asked gently, sensing something was off but thinking it was a combination of lack of sleep and stress.

"Okay" she said quietly, glancing away nervously, trying to force a smile but able to make eye contact only with her desk and the floor.

He tilted his head tenderly, pulling her close a final time and kissing her temple before he followed Suzanne outside.

Julia heard the door shut and sat down slowly at her desk, avoiding what she knew were Mary Jo and Charlene's curious stares.

"Are--are you gonna tell Anthony, Julia?" Charlene asked timidly.

Julia tossed the mail on her desk and whipped her head around to face Charlene. "Yes, Charlene, yes I will, will you please stop looking at me like I'm doing something wrong?" she snapped.

Charlene and Mary Jo shrank back and said nothing more to Julia for the rest of the morning. Julia sat at her desk, relieved when Anthony called to tell her he wouldn't be able to make it back in time for lunch because he and Suzanne were tied up. She had tried to sound as normal as possible, but inside the nagging feeling she had that she was doing something wrong to someone who didn't deserve it refused to be silent.


	2. Chapter 2

Julia's heels clicked rhythmically on the floor as she made her way back to her desk. The office was still eerily quiet. Suzanne and Anthony were still stuck at the Museum, and Charlene and Mary Jo had spent the rest of the afternoon essentially hunkered down as well, absorbed in their work, and grateful for it, as they knew this was one situation they did not need to--nor want to--be a part of. The front door suddenly opened, and Reese strode in through the front door like he always had. For a moment, Mary Jo felt perplexed; his walk was so confident she took him for someone who was still welcome here.

"I came by to drop off a few catalog pages Todd gave me, bits of inspiration for the office and all that" he said, staring intently at Julia. She had stopped in her tracks when she saw him, but came around to the area in front of the sofa and tried to look as unbothered by his presence as she possibly could.

"Thank you" she said curtly, taking the pages and flipping through them, feigning interest. Really, that nagging part of her that insisted she was doing something wrong was ringing loud again, and she wanted to reach inside herself and choke it to death.

Mary Jo watched as Reese smirked that same smirk he always did when he knew Julia was being either obstinate or feeling uncomfortable, or both. Before anyone had a chance to say anything else, the front door opened and Anthony and Suzanne stepped inside.

Reese wheeled around, and Julia's face froze, as she saw Anthony slowly draw his eyes from her to Reese and back again. He moved just enough to close the door, and Suzanne scurried to the other end of the room near Mary Jo, intent on remaining out of harm's way, but also keen to hear what would be said next.

"Anthony" Reese said pleasantly, smiling confidently at him as he strode across the room and shook hands with Anthony. "Long time no see, old pal, how're things?"

Anthony accepted his handshake, but not without shooting Julia a brief, confused glance. "Quite alright, Reese, thank you, anything we can help you with?"

Reese paused for a moment, taken somewhat aback by Anthony's equal amount of assertiveness when he squeezed Anthony playfully on the arm. "Ahh, that's right, you made partner. Well, indeed, Mr. Bouvier, I'm already being helped by Julia."

Anthony looked at Julia blankly. "Julia?"

The grin on Reese's face remained steady as he looked back at Julia. "Oh yeah, she's redoing the office suite for an old friend and now-coworker of mine. I'd have enlisted you, but you know how things go with Julia and I" he said, winking playfully at Anthony.

Anthony gave Julia a stone-faced glare and said quietly, "No, no I guess I didn't, but I do now."

Reese just laughed and stepped past Anthony, reaching for the door; he'd always taken Anthony for nice, but socially somewhat inept, so he thought nothing of Anthony's reaction. "Well, I gotta run. You take it easy, Anthony. Let me know if you need anything else, Sassy" he said, looking at Julia before shutting the door behind him.

Anthony stood quietly in front of the door, stepping forward after a few seconds to stand just behind the chair to the left of the sofa. Mary Jo looked at his face carefully, and saw anger creep into the knot in his brow, and the corners of his mouth. He looked at her steadily before he said, "Any chance you were gonna tell me, Sassy?"

Deep down Julia knew she was in the wrong, she knew she should've told Anthony, the better part of her had screamed at her all morning to tell him, had guilted her all day, but the stubborn side of her personality rose up in equally fierce measure and told her just the opposite, that she didn't owe it to him to say anything, and that he should trust her enough not to worry about Reese.

Julia tilted her head angrily, and said, "And at what point in our relationship did we decide that I have to let you know every time I so much as breathe the same air as someone from my past?" she asked coldly.

Mary Jo looked up at them from her space between Charlene and Suzanne. "Why don't you all just sit down and talk this out rationally?"

Julia whipped her head toward Mary Jo and snapped, "I'm not the one that's being irrational!" as she shot Anthony an angry look.

"Oh, so now I'm crazy for thinking that I deserve to know if your ex-boyfriend decides he wants to come waltzing back into your life?" Anthony snapped at Julia.

Julia stepped forward and narrowed her eyes, and Charlene said sheepishly, "Y'all, let's--"

"You know, Anthony, I think I know what the real issue is here. The real problem is you don't trust me, and you want to make me look like the bad guy so you don't have to admit that you have no faith in my ability to be honest with you."

Anthony drew his head back angrily. "Well if I hadn't trusted you that wouldn't seem so crazy right now, would it?"

"So you admit it, you admit that you don't trust me?" Julia nearly yelled.

Anthony stepped a little closer to her, looking at her coldly, before saying simply, "You know, maybe Dondi was right about you."

At this, Julia drew in a sharp breath, as she hissed, "Get out of my house", tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

"It's our business, Julia" Anthony reminded her sharply.

She eyed him carefully as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know if it is, anymore" she said, stepping past him and bolting up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door.

"Anthony--" Mary Jo said desperately, but he merely turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

The three of them jumped to their feet, realizing that going after Anthony was hopeless as they heard his car fly out of the driveway outside. Suzanne strode bravely up the stairs after Julia, knocking at her door and demanding she open it.

Mary Jo and Charlene followed suit, and they all teamed up as they informed Julia that, relationship or no, she could not just revoke Anthony's share of the business.

Mary Jo stepped forward and said carefully to Julia, "You all promised that you were not going to let this relationship affect your work."

Julia initially resisted, quite intensely in fact, but eventually she relented and told them that she would simply act as if Anthony didn't exist if he came into work. "You all can communicate everything to him if you're so insistent that he remain a part of Sugarbaker's" she said icily.

"Julia--" Charlene said firmly.

"Well what's it to you all, anyway? This has absolutely nothing to do with you" Julia snapped.

Julia nearly lost her footing when Charlene looked at her bravely and said, "You were wrong, Julia", as Mary Jo and Suzanne looked at her, impressed by her uncharacteristic display of confidence, especially when standing face-to-face with Julia.

They turned on their heels as well and followed her down the stairs and out the door.

Julia stood in her bedroom and threw her clothes off, angrily throwing them on the bed as she grabbed her nightgown and prepared to take a hot bath. She stepped inside the bathroom, and was overwhelmed by a sudden, deep sense of guilt. She started crying, and bit her lips angrily as she tried to hold back the tears that she didn't want to shed. She sat on the edge of the tub and looked over at herself in the large mirror that sat at the far end of the bathroom as a little voice in her head asked, "If Reese tried to come back now, would you take him?"


	3. Chapter 3

Wednesday rolled around and Anthony and Julia were still not on speaking terms. In fact, not on speaking terms was putting it mildly. They were on indifference terms, and Mary Jo thought that she'd never seen two people put so much work into acting like the other didn't exist. If the Winter Olympics opened up a category for childish behavior, Mary Jo knew who would nab the gold.

Charlene looked at Mary Jo from her side of the sofa as Anthony stalked into the backroom. Julia, luckily--or maybe not--had spent almost all day since Todd Hamish signed his contracts early Tuesday morning, at Reese's office working on Todd's suite. "Can you believe she and Anthony are still not talking to each other?" Charlene whispered, in spite of the fact that it was just the two of them in the room.

Mary Jo looked at her wearily. "I know, I mean, maybe Anthony could've tried to remain a little more calm about this, but, I'm sorry, I hate to say this because I love her to death, but Julia was wrong on this one."

Charlene nodded her head sheepishly, as though she were afraid Julia might see her from across town. "I know, I mean if Bill ever pulled a stunt like this..." she said, and Mary Jo shot her a look that told her she was in full agreement.

Charlene paused for a moment, and scooted closer to Mary Jo. "Mary Jo?"

"What?" Mary Jo asked quietly, looking at her glumly.

"Do you think Julia still has feelings for Reese?"

Mary Jo thought this over for a moment, and looked at Charlene. "No, I think what she has is an inability to admit she was wrong, because admitting she made such a foolish choice makes her feel stupid, and you know Julia hates that." She shook her head sadly. "I just hope she realizes that before it's too late."

Charlene nodded as the door opened and Suzanne strode inside, looking at them gloomily. "Hey" she said quietly.

"It's got to you too, huh?" Mary Jo asked, leaning her head back against the sofa.

"Yeah" Suzanne admitted, shifting awkwardly as she sat down. She hated to admit to feeling anything other than pleased, but even she had to admit that she was being dragged down by Anthony and Julia's iciness toward one another.

Charlene looked at her, surprised. "Why Suzanne, that's not like you."

Suzanne waved her off with her hand. "Yeah, well, it just has, alright? I mean, this is stupid, we all know it is. And y'all know I love Julia, but she was wrong."

"That's what we said!" Mary Jo and Charlene cried in unison.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Mary Jo said, "You know, she's got that long day at the office on Friday, and Todd Hamish won't be there that day."

"So who will be?" Suzanne asked quizzically.

Mary Jo looked at them and quietly answered, "Reese."


	4. Chapter 4

Julia sat quietly in Todd Hamish's nearly finished office. It had floored him, when he peeked in Thursday evening, and saw how much had already been completed. Julia had a competent team of carpenters she called on to rip up the wood flooring and replace the wallpaper, and by the time he'd looked into his office, the outline of his vision had come together, and Julia was busy finishing a final sketch for him to look over to decide on the actual design of the interior. They'd talked over furniture, furnishings, where to put what and how to best space everything so that he could best utilize the space and size of his office.

Todd had looked at Reese as they were all leaving for the day, shaking his head in wonder and saying, "Tell me you weren't stupid enough to mess things up with her." Even the female office workers were slack jawed around Julia.

Reese had sniffed in annoyance and said, "Julia and I have been done a few times before, and she somehow always wanders right back in."

But as Julia sat in Todd Hamish's office suite and heard the sounds of a Friday workday winding down around her, she knew deep down she had no intention of wandering right back anywhere, as far as Reese was concerned. She sat quietly piecing together what to put on Todd's bookshelf when Anthony entered her mind for what seemed like the twentieth time that evening, but it was the first time that really allowed herself the chance to sit and think about him, without pushing away the thoughts as though they were intrusions.

She bit her lip as she thought to herself how much easier this job would've been if he'd been here, how much more interesting lunch would've been if she hadn't been forced to feign interest in whatever it was Reese and Todd were discussing. She missed him. Not only did Julia miss Anthony, she felt stupid for not telling him that she'd taken the job, and for starting an argument that didn't even need to be started. All she felt was stupid, tired, and lonely, and she wanted to be nestled in beside him on her sofa instead of in this cold, lifeless office.

The door creaked open and Reese poked his head in. "How're things coming along, Sassy?"

She rolled her eyes inwardly at the nickname he continued to use for her--which sounded merely stupid now that they weren't together--and smiled politely at him. "Fine, almost done for the day. I'll be heading out here soon so you can lock up Mr. Hamish's office."

Reese smiled at what he perceived still as obstinance, and sat on the corner of the desk nearest to the sofa she was presently occupying.

"Look, Sassy, how long are you going to pretend I'm a stranger before you decide you're ready to come back?"

Julia looked at him, truly bewildered. "I'm sorry?"

He looked at her, furrowing a brow at her confusion. "Well I think you know why I brought Todd Hamish to Sugarbaker's!" He paused, slapping a his hands on his knees incredulously and standing up. "Now, come on, Julia, we've had our breaks before, and we've always managed to put things on the mend. What's different this time? Let's just turn over a new leaf and continue on like we always have."

Julia looked at him blankly for a moment, the truth of what he was saying sinking in like a stone for the first time, but not in the way he hoped. She pressed her lips together briefly, put her work down, and looked up at him again from her seat.

"You're right, Reese, we have been done a few times before and always come back together" she said matter of factly.

At this he stepped forward and was about to extend his arms to her when she put up a hand and looked him in the eyes and said, "But not this time."

He stopped short. He was stunned, almost too stunned to say anything. "What?"

She folded her hands confidently in her lap and maintained her stare. "I don't feel that way about you anymore Reese. In fact, I don't know why I thought the up and down of our relationship was normal. It wasn't. It wasn't normal for you to bring that girl to the dance those few years ago, it wasn't normal for you to embarrass me in front of my friends during that ski weekend, it wasn't normal for me to think it was normal to play second fiddle to your career and spend so many weekends alone."

He set his hands on his hips angrily, and said, "Excuse me, there were plenty of times I spent time alone because you were too busy."

She looked at him pointedly. "When?"

He stood silent for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders in frustration. "You know Julia, you women always have to have everything your way, and when you can't, you make me and my brethren out to be the bad guys."

Julia licked her lips and sighed; somehow the feminist in her had always overlooked the intolerance in Reese and made excuses for it. "You know, Reese, I think what you mean to say is that when we women make a valid point that you can't defend yourself against, you have to take us all down so that you'll still feel bigger at the end of the day."

Reese stared at her silently for a few moments before he said, "Who is he, Julia?"

Julia paused, wondering whether or not to divulge that information to him, but she finally said, "Anthony."

Reese furrowed his brow in confusion for a few seconds before his eyes widened in surprise. "Anthony? Your delivery driver, Anthony? The guy you hired out of prison, Anthony?"

"My business partner, Anthony" she corrected him coolly.

Reese threw his hands up in frustration. "Well, excuse me. I mean, what...what do you think that you and Anthony are supposed to have in common exactly? The two of you are like night and day, pardon the pun. You couldn't be more different."

Julia rolled her eyes in annoyance as she stood up and crossed her arms in front of her. "You know, that's the only criticism I've ever encountered of our relationship, and it just amazes me. I mean, none of the people who've ever balked at our being together have ever said, 'Is he kind to you, Julia? Is he thoughtful?' as if those pressing things didn't matter. Nothing matters, until he's black and I'm white, until he's poor and I'm rich and all of a sudden, everybody turns into Phil Donahue and expresses deep, sentimental concern over my well-being. I could be with a man who was kicking my teeth in, but as long as he wasn't too far off from where I was, we'd be alright."

Reese was about to fire off a reply when he heard a knock on the door behind him. They both turned to see Anthony poking his head inside as he opened the door slowly.

"Sorry to intrude, but you left this on your desk" he said softly, holding out his hand to reveal a small tube of pepper spray.

Julia stepped forward and took the tube, looking somewhat confused.

"I knew you might be coming to the Christmas party at my place later on, and it'll be sunset by the time y'all get out of here." He shrugged, looking at her shyly for a moment before looking at the carpet. "Know you like being safe better than sorry" he said, turning away and moving toward the door.

"Well go ahead and try to win her back, Anthony," Reese said as smoothly as he could, "I think that's part of what you came here for."

Anthony stared at Reese for a moment before realizing he knew about his relationship with Julia. He shook his head slowly, glancing at Julia and then back at Reese. "No, no, Reese, Julia has always been a woman who's gone and stayed just wherever she wants to. I think I'll let her keep on doing that."

Reese shot Julia a snarky look as he said, "So you're not going to fight me on this?"

Anthony shook his head again. He pressed his lips together nervously before he said, "I love Julia enough to let her go and stay somewhere else if she needs to."

Julia felt tears sting her eyes, as Anthony promptly turned and closed the door behind him.

Reese looked at her stubbornly before he said, "Well forgive me, I didn't realize we were exchanging 'I love you's' already" he said, resting against Todd's desk.

Julia turned promptly and grabbed her things, looking back at Reese as she slung her coat over her shoulders. "I'll be back next week to continue working. Let's leave well enough alone, please, Reese."

She turned to go when he said, "So you really love him, do you?"

She turned back around and bit back tears as she nodded her head yes. She didn't wait for his answer, she just turned and left and walked out into the parking lot, sliding behind the wheel of her car and driving home. She walked swiftly upstairs and threw off her suit, scouring the hangers for the nicest dress she owned. She finally found it, a low-cut black velvet dress with long sleeves that nearly swept the floor. She slid it on, threw on a simple pair of diamond studs, and slid into her mink coat--grandmother's heirloom--as she headed to Anthony's apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Noise greeted her instantly as the door slid open to reveal Mary Jo, or rather, what was Mary Jo after she'd imbibed on three white wine spritzers. Mary Jo's size was not on her side when it came to alcohol, and she was already on the heavy side of tipsy when she let Julia inside Anthony's apartment. The sight of Julia sobered Mary Jo up, somewhat; really the mere surprise she felt at seeing Julia standing on the other side of the door sobered her more than anything.

"Juuulia! I didn't think you'd be coming" she slurred, causing Julia to reach over and grab Mary Jo by the arm to steady her.

"Mary Jo, it's not even 9 o'clock yet, how much have you had to drink?" she nearly hissed.

Mary Jo held up three limp fingers and nodded, saying, "White wine spritzers" happily.

Julia gave her a look that suggested she was more ashamed of her friend's inability to handle alcohol than at the amount she'd had to drink. What really could one say to only three?

Anthony noticed and rushed over to help Julia, grabbing Mary Jo's other arm. All eyes followed him--all eyes being Charlene, Suzanne, Bill and Olivia--as he stepped in front of Julia, not really paying attention to Mary Jo anymore.

"Did you mean what you said, that you love me?" Julia asked suddenly, looking intently at Anthony.

At this Mary Jo stopped completely, staring at Anthony in shock. "You told Julia you love her?" she asked, emotion creeping into a voice on which sobriety had suddenly taken a firm hold.

They both looked over at Mary Jo, realizing how loudly she'd spoken, and plopped her into the nearest chair.

Anthony turned to Julia and offered her a hand. "Come on" he said, leading her past the invasive stares down the hallway to his bedroom.

Mary Jo sat completely still in the chair in which they'd left her, and looked over at everyone else. "Anthony told Julia he loved her" she said, her tone somewhere between surprise and awestruck.

"Well that was fast" Suzanne said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Suzanne!" Charlene whispered, looking over her shoulder and seeing Anthony close his bedroom door at the end of the hall.

Suzanne just shrugged her shoulders as she popped another meatball into her mouth as Bill rocked on his heels, grinning to himself. "Wellll, I hate to say that I told you so, Charlene--"

"Bill Stillfield! You did not tell me so, I already knew, thank you very much" Charlene snapped.

Bill cocked his head as he said, "I'm just saying that all I remember is being the one to point it out to you that night at The Southern Plate two months ago..." He let his sentence trail off in the way someone who's right lets a sentence run, knowing there will be no argument.

Charlene rolled her eyes and turned away from him. "I see I'll have to talk to Olivia if I want mature conversation" she said, sitting down beside her daughter, who was playing quietly on the sofa.

Anthony shut the door behind him, and watched silently as Julia walked over to the bed to sit down, slowly taking in the view of his bedroom. It was spacious and clean, its furnishings and decorations setting the tone with their dark, heavy colors, the room itself oozing a quiet masculinity that seemed to parallel Anthony's own quiet, intense personality. She sat down on the end of the bed and looked over at him, glancing away shyly and rubbing the silk bedspread with her hand.

He waited for her to say anything, but knew that she was having a hard time figuring out what to say, so finally he leaned against the door and said, "Why didn't you tell me, Julia?"

She sat silent for few moments, still fingering the bedspread, before looking up at him and shaking her head. "I, I don't know, Anthony. I know that's not a good reason--it's not even a reason--but I don't know why I didn't tell you about the job or about Reese. I guess didn't know what to say because I don't really know why I took it."

He looked at the ground for a moment before turning back to her. "Do you still love him, Julia?"

"No" she answered simply, in a tone that told him that she was telling the truth, and that she was sure of herself. She shrugged sadly. "You know Reese and I always had a...complex relationship with each other. We loved each other a lot, but we also fought a lot, and there were a number of times over the years during which we separated, some of which you all know...but a lot of which you don't because I never said anything." She pulled at her dress and looked out of the window, the moonlight catching the deep sadness in her eyes as she spoke, looking again at Anthony. "There were some not so great times...and a lot more not so great times toward the end of our relationship. But Reese would always show back up, and we'd start up again...and I knew when he walked in that door on Monday he wanted to start again."

Anthony looked at her intently. "Did you want to?"

"No," Julia said, shaking her head sadly, "but I also didn't know how to say no, until this evening."

Anthony was silent for a moment, turning over what she'd said in his mind, before he sighed quietly and walked over to the bed to sit down beside her. He turned to face her and looked at her seriously. "Listen Julia, I never really knew a lot about your relationship with Reese, and I don't really need to now. I know you all had your good times and bad times, and that's all well and fine because I've had a few of my own. But you gotta understand that if you and I are together, there can be no 'on/off' times. We're either together...or we're not" he said quietly.

She looked at him tenderly, and rubbed the fabric of her dress again. "I know" she said softly. "I'm sorry, Anthony."

He regarded her for a few moments before nodding his head slowly and taking her hand. "I'm sorry too. I never should have said Dondi was right about you, I didn't mean that. You know Dondi loves you."

She pressed her lips together slightly and rubbed the fabric of her dress again before she asked, "Did you mean what you said earlier, Anthony?"

He looked at her carefully, knowing what she was thinking about. He hadn't really meant to use the word 'love' earlier, he hadn't meant not to use it either, it just inserted itself into the conversation, a sort of surprise to him as well. He hadn't thought about it at all beforehand, whether or not he loved her, whether or not it was too soon even to determine that. Before he could say anything, she smiled and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Anthony. It's too soon to..." she waved her hands in front of her, slowly rising to her feet, "we don't have to talk about it."

Suddenly they heard a knock on the door, and Mary Jo peeked her head inside. "Y'all gonna join us again at some point?" she asked quietly, smiling at them. Sober Mary Jo would have left them alone, but tipsy Mary Jo was a lot more brazen than her counterpart, and had marched right up to the door when she decided that the silence in the living room had gone on for too long.

Anthony and Julia looked at one another slowly, and Anthony looked over at Mary Jo and said, "Give us a few more minutes, Mary Jo."

Mary Jo pouted slightly, feeling disappointed, but slinked out of the room and closed the door. Julia looked at Anthony in confusion, and he reached a hand toward her and pulled her onto his lap, looking at her gently.

"You know what, Julia?" he asked rather playfully, caressing her waist gently with one hand while the other rested gingerly on her thigh.

"What, Anthony?" she asked quietly, trying her best to keep her disappointment at bay.

He smiled at her and bent forward just a touch as he said, "I do love you."

A look of surprise crossed her face as she smiled shyly at him, her womanliness giving way to quiet girlishness. "Anthony, you don't have to--" she said, softly, shaking her head, regretting that she'd asked him about it. She shouldn't have, truthfully, she knew.

He squeezed her gently and looked her in the eyes, shrugging his shoulders. "I know I don't have to. I know." he said teasingly, causing her to smile again as she looked away nervously. "But I love you anyway."

The look on his face was one of such seriousness that Julia knew he meant what he said, and she pulled him closer as she said, "I love you too, Anthony."

They kissed one another gently, and Anthony leaned back against the bed, pulling Julia down on top of him, and she met his lips again, deepening the kiss.

From the other side of the door, Mary Jo and Suzanne sat crouched against it, trading an empty water glass back and forth and trying to decipher what was going on.

"It's my turn" Suzanne hissed, snatching the glass from Mary Jo.

"No, it's my turn" Mary Jo snapped, yanking it back and swatting Suzanne's hands away.

"Y'all be quiet," Charlene hissed from her end of the hallway, "they're gonna hea--"

Suddenly the door swung open and Anthony and Julia stood looming over the crouched figures of Mary Jo and Suzanne.

"Can we help you, Suzanne and Mary Jo?" Julia hissed, emphasizing their names in the way she always did when they'd tested her patience.

They sprung to their feet and looked at the ground, like children who'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "Nope, nope, nope!" Mary Jo said quickly.

"It was her idea" Suzanne said haughtily.

""Was not!" Mary Jo snapped, shoving Suzanne.

"Can't we all just go back the living room and try to behave in a manner that resembles maturity?" Julia asked in annoyance.

The four of them trudged down the hallway, and soon enough they were all settled once again in Anthony's living room, laughing, eating, and enjoying one another's company. Eventually the night wound down, and Charlene, Bill, and Olivia--who was already asleep--left first, with Suzanne dragging Mary Jo behind her, who had sobered up a bit, but perhaps not enough to walk down the flight of stairs that led to the parking lot. No one could be sure, so Suzanne agreed to take her home.

Anthony shut the door and breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as Julia eyed him wearily from her spot on the sofa, feeling rather tired herself.

"I have never been more grateful that Christmas comes but once a year!" he said exhaustedly, dragging himself back to the sofa. "You ladies wear me out."

Julia laughed and laid her head on his chest as he pulled her close, stroking the fabric of his shirt gently, feeling sleep slowly bear down on her. "You know I'll have to go back to Mr. Hamish's office until I finish that job" she said softly, drawing little circles on his chest.

Anthony smiled a little and said, "I know, and that's fine. You told me I don't have anything to worry about, and I love you, and I trust you."

Julia smiled, nuzzling him with her cheek as she said, "Do you want to come with me to make the job more interesting?"

Anthony laughed and pinched her waist playfully. "Ms. Sugarbaker, you know I've got work to do, and I know you've got work to do, and if we're together there will be no work getting done by either of us" he said with mock seriousness.

She smacked him on the chest, and sat up a bit so she could look him in the eye. "You know, I had an awful lot of fun watching you put Reese Watson in his place this evening."

Anthony looked away sheepishly, rubbing her back. "Yeah, well, I know you ladies think of me as one of you, but I can be a man's man when I need to be." He looked at her as she giggled, and said quietly, "But in all seriousness, you know that if Reese gives you any trouble, I can have his disappearance quickly arranged."

Julia's mouth dropped open, and she smacked him again as she said, "Anthony Bouvier!" laughing in spite of herself.

"I'm serious, Julia, I'm not having anyone messing with my girl" he said, grinning at her. "Besides, I tangoed enough with T. Tommy Reid, so he owes me a kidnapping."

She shook her head as Anthony pulled her close again, and laid her cheek against his chest once more. He stroked her curls with his fingers and said softly, "I love you, Julia."

Tears welled up in her eyes again as she smiled and kissed his neck gently. "I love you too, Anthony."

Dondi had once told Anthony when he was younger, "Love isn't what you feel, it's what you do." Anthony hadn't understood that then, but as he looked over at Julia the next morning as she helped him fold his laundry, he thought that maybe that saying, now, made a little more sense.


End file.
